Recommitted, building momentum and steam

It has been a GREAT summer! Awesome! Triathlons, runs, trips, books, visits, movies, beach, strength training with a trainer at My Fitness Solutions, friends and family. Can’t get better! I am so good at vacation! I am actually gifted at it. I can’t get enough! Then . . .

vacation ended.

I went back to work with gusto. I headed to a week long conference, then to a graduate class that requires lots to homework, and back to regular work that has morphed into 2 new jobs to learn. Did I mention laundry, cooking, running errands and cleaning? My schedule went from lovely to crazy busy. I like to be busy. I like learning. I like a challenge. I like “new.”

All this added up to me sometimes eating poorly and missing my morning cardio . That forced my body into a plateau. This happens when I work out from time to time. I hit a dip. I get very discouraged. When working out alone I don’t know how to get out of it. I don’t know how to develop a plan. I sent a text to my trainer that I had hit a plateau. I didn’t think it would be much of a big deal. I found out that was it WAS a REALLY BIG deal. They don’t want me to fail. They do everything to help me succeed.

When I got to My Fitness Solutions, Tracy and Fadi met me. They discussed with me my observations of what was going on. Fadi took me into his office to go over my goals again, and we wrote on the board where I had messed up in my ability to reach my goals. Fadi drew it all out on the board for me to evaluate. He explained that I was like a train and headed down the track. I was about to approach a cow. If I had enough momentum then I could just go through the cow, but I didn’t have enough momentum so my train was stalled. I have to gather more momentum. I have got to produce more steam. I have to work a little harder and watch my nutrition like a bulldog on a bone. Nutrition is 80% of the success of strength training according to Fadi.I don’t have enough momentum yet to have a cheat meal. Tracy is always giving me ideas of things to pack in my bag to eat. I have got to get back on it. We also discussed that I had made goals, but they weren’t specific enough. I need measurable goals.

Fadi then customized a workout for me and worked me really hard. I am sure I catapulted over my plateau, and I am back on track. (I have to be. It is difficult to raise my arms to brush my teeth!) Then one of the other trainers, Rebecca, whom I have worked out with before called me to see if I wanted to go run 10 miles on Sunday morning. She is so helpful and encouraging. She gave me tips along the way. She knows I am beginning to train for a marathon in November.

All this led me to do some soul searching on developing measureable goals and re-igniting my efforts to obtain them. It is so easy to derail when you are trying to rebuild your body. If you are alone, it is easy to just quit because you don’t know how to navigate out it. Life easily finds a way to roll in and messes up the ride. Then your head gets in the way and you want to quit. But with accountability and intimate help by my trainers I am back on track.